Louisiana · Rental / Landlord-Tenant Repair

Louisiana Landlord Repair Duty Explained

Short answer
The landlord pays

Louisiana's Civil Code requires the lessor to make necessary repairs and warrants the property free of defects, though a lease can reallocate this duty.

High confidence · Verified Sep 19, 2026 · 2 sources

Exception
  • These default duties can be waived or reallocated by specific lease language, so the actual lease terms control more here than in URLTA states.
What to do next

What to do next

  1. Put the repair request in writing

    Send it to the landlord, date it, and keep a copy.

Work through the full repair checklist

If the repair is yours to pay

Get more than one quote before you agree to a price, and ask the contractor to confirm where the property line and the public side begin.

Repair-request & landlord/tenant forms (LawDepot)

Templates for a notice to repair, security-deposit demand, and more.

Partner link. Who Pays the Repair? may earn a commission if you request a quote or sign up, at no cost to you. It never changes who we say pays.

Responsibility Boundary

Default rule and exceptions

Louisiana's Civil Code obligates the lessor to make all repairs necessary to keep the leased thing suitable for its purpose (art. 2691) and warrants the thing free of vices or defects preventing that use, including defects arising after delivery (art. 2696), though this duty can be waived or reallocated by lease clause under Louisiana's freedom-of-contract lease-law defaults.

PartyWhat they are responsible for
Landlord (Lessor)Make all repairs necessary to maintain the thing in a condition suitable for its leased purpose, except those for which the lessee is responsible; warrant the thing free of vices/defects, including those arising after delivery and not attributable to the lessee's fault.
Tenant (Lessee)Responsible for repairs the lease specifically assigns to the lessee, and for defects attributable to the lessee's own fault.
ExceptionsThese default duties can be waived or reallocated by specific lease language, so the actual lease terms control more here than in URLTA states.

What the source says

Last verified against the primary source on Sep 19, 2026.

During the lease, the lessor is bound to make all repairs that become necessary to maintain the thing in a condition suitable for the purpose for which it was leased, except those for which the lessee is responsible.
La. Civ. Code art. 2691: "Lessor's obligation for repairs", checked Sep 13, 2026
The lessor warrants the lessee that the thing is suitable for the purpose for which it was leased and that it is free of vices or defects that prevent its use for that purpose. This warranty also extends to vices or defects that arise after the delivery of the thing and are not attributable to the fault of the lessee.
La. Civ. Code art. 2696: "Warranty against vices or defects", checked Sep 13, 2026

Common questions

Who pays for rental / landlord-tenant repair in Statewide, LA?

The landlord. Make all repairs necessary to maintain the thing in a condition suitable for its leased purpose, except those for which the lessee is responsible; warrant the thing free of vices/defects, including those arising after delivery and not attributable to the lessee's fault.

Are there exceptions in Statewide, LA?

These default duties can be waived or reallocated by specific lease language, so the actual lease terms control more here than in URLTA states.

What is this based on for Statewide, LA?

This verdict is sourced to La. Civ. Code art. 2691: "Lessor's obligation for repairs" and 2 sources in total, each independently re-checked before publication.

Sources

  1. La. Civ. Code art. 2691: "Lessor's obligation for repairs"statute · verified-primary · accessed 2026-09-13
  2. La. Civ. Code art. 2696: "Warranty against vices or defects"statute · verified-primary · accessed 2026-09-13
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